


A Genius Grows

by Slyther1nM1nds



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abused Harry, Bad Dumbledore, Elemental Magic, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Genius Harry, Good Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Good Malfoy Family, Good Slytherins, Good Tom Riddle, Harry is Lord Black, Harry is Lord Potter, Hermione Granger Bashing, Lord Harry, M/M, Political Harry, Powerful Harry, Protective Harry, Pureblood Harry, Rich Harry, Severitus, Slytherin Harry, Tom Riddle/Severus Snape - Freeform, Weasley Bashing, Wizengamot, rebellious Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2018-10-03 07:00:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10238516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slyther1nM1nds/pseuds/Slyther1nM1nds
Summary: Hadrian Potter had a hard life, until he was four and then his world changed!!





	1. Gringotts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrian finds something in the Dursley's attic.

CHAPTER ONE - GRINGOTTS

Four-year-old Hadrian Potter stumbled as the portkey dumped him on the marble floor of Gringotts Bank. His mind was swirling, five hours earlier he had been cleaning the Dursleys attic when he had found his mothers school trunk, inside he had found a letter from his parents, informing him that he was a wizard and a Lord to boot, he had found a book which explained about the basics of the wizarding world, and about how they thought that he had defeated a wizard called Voldemort, in the letter his parents had explained that they were in the process of joining Voldemort when Albus Dumbledore found out and killed them framing Voldemort and enacting a curse which separated Volemorts body from his soul. At this point Harrison was furious and was wondering how to get in contact with the wizarding world when he found a portkey which his parents had told him would take him to Gringotts bank, apparently his mother had been a seer and had foreseen when Hadrian would find the trunk, Gringotts would help him prepare for his actual entrance to the wizarding world when he was eleven.  
He looked around, knowing that he was in Ragnok’s office but not knowing where the goblin was, he stood and waited, anyone looking at the boy would have thought that he was younger than four, he was malnourished and wore clothes that swamped him. Hadrian startled when Ragnok came into the office and sat behind his desk. Hadrian bowed like the letter had said before saying “Greetings Ragnok Nur, I am Hadrian James Potter.”  
Ragnok stared at the skinny boy in front of him, he had known the child would come today and had cleared his schedule, however he had hoped that James and Lily had exaggerated when they said the boy would have been abused, he could see that the child was in pain from how he held himself and pressed a button under his desk which would summon Goblin healers to his office. “Hello Lord Potter, before we begin the meeting I would like some Goblin Healers to heal your injuries and reverse the malnutrition, when your parents came to me before their deaths they informed me that you would be have been severely abused, I had hoped that would have been an exaggeration.” Hadrian nodded and shuffled awkwardly.  
“Yes Uncle Vernon has a bit of a temper.” He said clearly.  
Ragnok snorted at the understatement as three goblin healers came through the door, he introduced them to Hadrian and they started the diagnostic charm. When the head healer finished the charm a long piece of parchment appeared in front of him, listing Hadrian’s current injuries.

Name – Hadrian James Potter  
Age – 4 years 11 months  
Weight – 32 pounds  
Height – 38 inches  
Injuries – Welts on back and buttocks  
\- 3 broken ribs  
\- Fractured Ankle  
\- Broken Wrist  
\- Skull Fracture  
\- Bruised liver  
\- Broken tibia  
\- Bruising to 90% of body  
\- Curse Scar on forehead … residual dark magic

The head healer gasped and led Harry to the sofa in the room, he guided Hadrian to lay down and began chanting, Hadrian fell into a deep sleep and the healer began to explain the results of the scan. Ragnok was furious, how could anyone do this to a child, he told the healer to fix the broken child and went back to sit behind his desk. He had to find a way to get Lord Potter away from that house without Dumbledore knowing, he couldn’t think of anything, maybe Hadrian would have an idea, he turned to the healers who had healed everything except the malnutrition and the scar. He watched as one of the goblins tipped a potion down the boys throat, Ragnok winced and was immensely glad that they had put the child to sleep, this would undo any negative effects on Hadrian’s height and weight, he watched as Hadrian grew taller and filled out a bit. By the time the potion had done its work Hadrian was just above average height wise and was lithe, built for speed. The healers than began to work on the residual dark magic in the scar, as the goblins chanted a black mist rose from the scar and dissipated without a force to support it. Once this was done the healers left and Ragnok woke Hadrian.  
Hadrian ached as he woke up, he felt like he had been stretched in his sleep he had had the most wonderful dream he had been a wizard. He slowly opened his eyes but startled when he saw Ragnok staring at him, he quickly stood up, immediately realising that he was a lot taller than before. Ragnok explained what had happened while he was asleep and conjured a mirror for Harrison so he could see the changes, he now stood at 45 inches and his whole body had changed, his hair had grown to halfway down his neck and had become tamer and his scar had disappeared. He smiled at his reflection feeling healthier than he had in a while, Ragnok explained that they had been unable to get rid of the older scars on his back because they had been left too long.  
Hadrian sat down opposite Ragnok and said “I thank the Goblin Nation for their help.” Ragnok smiled which was kind of scary with those sharp teeth.  
“You are most welcome Hadrian, however now it is time to talk of the future, I have been unable to think of a way to get you out of the Dursley’s care without alerting Dumbledore.” Hadrian hissed at the name before sitting back in his chair and contemplating the problem. Ragnok watched as Hadrian’s mind worked around the problem and was surprised when the boy smiled and leant forward.  
“I take it you have a solution Hadrian?” he questioned.  
“I have, however it depends on a few factors, in my parents letter it said that we were very wealthy, that the Potter’s were Lords in both the magical world and the muggle world, to what extent is this true?” Hadrian asked as he quirked an eyebrow.  
“Your family are our richest clients, this is due to the fact that they work in both the muggle and wizarding worlds, you are the richest person in the wizarding world and hold a lot of political power, this doesn’t even take into account the families that we don’t know you are heir to.”  
Hadrian smiled “What you have to understand Ragnok is that the Dursleys abuse me for the sole reason that they don’t want me there in their lives, so if I enrolled myself in a private boarding school which had a summer programme, they wouldn’t have to see me again until I was eleven and it would only be a short amount of time then, by then I hope to have people to aid me against Albus Dumbledore.” Ragnok almost choked, it was genius, there was no need for Albus to know the boy was enrolled in a private school and the man had no access to the Potter accounts.  
“That is a very good idea … we will sort that out momentarily, there is also the matter of your parents wills, you cannot unseal them until you are seven.”  
“That is fine, the letter also said something about an inheritance test and an abilities test?” Hadrian questioned.  
Ragnok nodded and pulled out two sheets of special parchment “We will complete the inheritance test first, just prick your finger and allow three drops of blood to fall onto the first parchment. Hadrian did so and gasped when writing appeared.

Hadrian James Potter  
Parents – James Charlus Potter (Deceased)  
\- Lillian Rose Potter nee Evans (Deceased)  
Godparents – Severus Tobias Snape-Prince (1st Godfather)  
\- Sirius Orion Black (2nd Godfather) Incarcerated  
\- Narcissa Elizabeth Malfoy nee Black (1st Godmother)  
\- Bellatrix Margaret Lestrange nee Black (2nd Godmother) Incarcerated  
Lordships - Heir to the House of Potter  
\- Heir to the House of Black  
\- Heir to the House of Ravenclaw  
\- Heir to the House of Gryffindor  
\- Heir to the House of Peverell  
\- Heir to the House of Evans  
Normally when Ragnok was handed the results of inheritance tests, he wasn’t surprised, however when he saw Hadrian’s his jaw dropped, these were six of the most powerful houses, “Very well Heir Potter, do you wish to claim your heir rings, when you turn thirteen you will become Lord to any of the houses which do not have a current Lord.”  
“Yes please Ragnok.” Ragnok brought a box out of his draw and tapped it with his finger, inside was a plain platinum signet ring. Hadrian slid it on his finger and it resized to fit him, Ragnok explained that he only had to think of the House crest he wished to display and it would appear on the ring. Hadrian thought of the Potter crest and a stag appeared on the ring, he smiled absently and fingered it. “Is it the same for the abilities test?” he asked. Ragnok nodded and Hadrian picked up the knife and pierced his thumb letting the blood drip onto the parchment.

Hadrian James Potter Intellegence Quota - 200  
Water Mage 100% blocked by Albus Dumbledore  
Air Mage 100% blocked by Albus Dumbledore  
Parseltongue 75% blocked by Albus Dumbledore  
Magical core 95% blocked by Albus Dumbledore  
Metamorphagus 100% blocked by Albus Dumbledore  
Mind Magics 100% blocked by Albus Dumbledore  
Animagus 100% blocked by Albus Dumbledore  
Wandless Magic 100% blocked by Albus Dumbledore  
Eidetic Memory  
Increased Reading Speed (30,000 WPM)  
Ragnoks jaw hit the floor when he saw the results, the boy was a genius obviously from Rowena he thought ruefully, when he reached the section about his magical core, he nearly fainted, he could feel the boys magic even now and that was with most of his magic blocked Dumbledore obviously saw the boy as a threat. He looked at Hadrian who was obviously deep in thought and cleared his throat. Hadrian started before smiling and Ragnok was suddenly seeing how young the boy was, he wasn’t even five had only been attending school for a year and he came across as so intelligent he shook his head before saying “All you have to do to get rid of the blocks is to drink this potion, it will probably hurt a bit. “ Hadrian didn’t look phased and just drunk the potion offered to him without pre amble. Ragnok watched as Hadrians face screwed up in pain and the room became saturated with magic, he saw Hadrian battling to control the extra magic, which happened almost instantaneously.  
Half an hour later after discussing his estates they came to another subject Hadrians Godparents “In my parents letter it explained that Severus, Narcissa and Bellatrix had been obliviated by Dumbledore as had anyone who had known they were my Godparents, now I think the best thing to do about that is to wait until I can unlock my parents will, which states my Godparents and that Severus should be given custody, I will not attend the will reading and you can break the obliviates and any compulsion spells, I will obviously pay you for your services. The harder part will be getting Sirius and Bellatrix out of prison, Narcissa should be able to order trials for both of them after she has been treated as she is their closest living relative. You said that there is a truth potion, my guess is that she will be able to order the use of it.” Ragnok nodded and handed Hadrian some brochures for the top boarding schools in the UK. Hadrian sat for an hour looking through the brochures until he decided on Riddale Preparatory school, it was a school that didn’t accept children until they were five which would mean that Hadrian would not be the ‘new’ kid, it specialised in preparing children for the political world which would aid Hadrian later in life and also was the top preparatory school in the UK. Hadrian whistled when he spotted the price fifty thousand ponds per year, it didn’t matter though because it wouldn’t even make a dent in his trust vault. One requirement for the school was that the child had their own horse but that didn’t matter as apparently there was a choice of horses available at Potter Manor and Hadrian could just pick one of those, he informed Ragnok that he should enrol him in the school, and with the aid of magic Hadrians name was added to the newcomers within the hour, it would be fine as any school would love to have he future Lord Potter. “Ragnok I will need to go shopping for some supplies in the muggle world tomorrow, I can get supplies from the wizarding world on my own today, however the muggle world would think it weird if they saw a five year old on their own, I was wondering if I could pay the bank for a human escort.” Ragnok was once again surprised by the boys forethought, because of all the wards children often went through diagon alley on their own as parents felt they were safe, this was not the case in the muggle world. If he chose the right person it could start the rumours of Lord Potters son before he reached the school. He could dress the person up a body guard for the boy, it would have to be someone trustworthy and who knew the Muggle world, then it clicked, Joseph Alzondo had just recently started working for them, before that he had been a security guard for a royal family, he would be the perfect candidate and he was good with children. When he stated all of this to Hadrian the boy agreed and even went as far to say that it might be good for it to become a permanent arrangement, according to the school brochure a lot of the students had bodyguards and they were given separate quarters, in the end though they decided that Joe would be called upon when needed, he would be permanently employed by Harrison but would only be called upon when necessary. They spoke more about the next day when Joe would pick Hadrian up, they agreed that Joe would first go to buy a car for the Potter Family, Hadrian looked through some models and stated that they should get the newest Range Rover Sport in black, he made sure to get all the extra’s added including a privacy screen. Hadrian then collected all of his paperwork including his school list that had come while he was there and left the bank, heading into Diagon Alley.


	2. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well needs must." Hadrian thought solemnly.

CHAPTER TWO – SHOPPING Hadrian’s jaw dropped as he saw Diagon Alley for the first time, he quickly got a hold of himself, he had a list of things to do and only three hours until the portkey Ragnok gave him would take him back to Privet Drive. First he decided that he needed some clothes to wear today and tomorrow, he would get clothes that could pass as muggle for tomorrows outing. He quickly moved towards a custom clothes shop the shop also had a section of pre made muggle style clothes in the best known brands it wasn’t hard to find muggle clothes in the wizarding world as people wore them under their robes, this shop only catered to higher class people and Hadrian knew he would need to look like a Lord’s son tomorrow. It was good that his appearance had changed so much and he no longer had his scar as it meant that he could shop without being recognised. He made his way over to the children’s clothes and picked out a white Ralph Lauren Polo shirt with blue detailing’s, a navy pair of Armani slim fit jeans, a blue Ralph Lauren cardigan and some white and blue Armani suede high-top trainers to wear in Diagon alley that day, he paused after picking that up, tomorrows image would be important he had to look like the heir he was as this would circulate to his future school. He looked at all the racks before deciding to pay for what he had chosen and to get changed, people were looking at him weirdly because he was dressed in Dudley’s cast offs, he strode confidently up to the counter and paid for his purchases with his Gringotts card before asking if he could use the changing room, the shop assistant agreed and he went to get changed. Hadrian looked in the mirror and smiled, he looked really nice, he pushed the sleeves of his cardigan up to his elbows and shoved his old clothes into the bin before heading back out into the shop to choose his clothes for tomorrow, finally he decided on a plain white Armani T-Shirt, a navy blazer, the jeans he was wearing and some navy oxford shoes. He also picked up some Calvin Klein underwear and socks before paying at the counter. He then made his way back into the alley; the next job on his agenda was a trunk, he glanced around, according to Ragnok there were two trunk shops, he wanted the one that made custom trunks, as his trunk would need a few tricks. He saw it over to the right opposite flourish and blots, he ran over, enjoying the feel of clothes that actually fit him and made his way into the store smiling broadly. The old man who ran the store was sat behind the desk and smiled naturally when he saw the happy young boy “Hello young man, what can I do for you?” he asked softly. Hadrian beamed up at the man “I am about to start at a private school until I go to Hogwarts, on my list it says I need a trunk, my Guardian told me to come here as it needs lots of special features.” The man hummed before standing up and going to fetch some parchment and a catalogue “Okay then lad, lets see what we can do.” He sat back down “What is the first thing you need?” “It needs to be keyed into magic, if a muggle opens the trunk it has to look like a normal trunk.” “That’s a common requirement, a lot of pureblood families send their children to muggle boarding schools.” The man notes absently as he wrote it on the parchment “The next?” “I will be communicating with my guardian via owl but obviously the owl cannot be seen inside the school, I was wondering if there was a feature to help with that?” Harry asked. “Yes, but only if you have rooms added to the trunk, in which case I will just add the owl feature to that.” Hadrian nodded eagerly “What rooms do you require?” “A master bedroom, a guest room, library, study, potions lab, kitchen with a diner, living room and a room of requirement.” Ragnok had told him about the room of requirement and said that only people who specifically asked for it could have it and Hadrian thought that the room sounded brilliant. The old man, startled at hearing the requirements before looking at the boy, he could tell the boy came from a pureblood family, he looked aristocratic and could obviously afford whatever he wanted “Would you like the Library to be filled and if so at what level?” “The highest level available, I will also be collecting books from my family vault so make sure that there is plenty of room.” The man nodded before continuing, “What colour schemes would you like?” Hadrian thought for a minute, he would really like it in the potter colours, but that would give away his identity, but he wanted his family crest printed on the outside as was traditional for boarding schools “Does your shop provide confidentiality?” Hadrian asked suddenly and the mans head snapped up to look at him. “Of course young man as the owner I took an oath to ensure confidentiality.” He said curiously. Hadrian showed the man his signet ring and showed the Potter crest, the old man gasped and stared at the boy, his eyes flicking to the boys forehead “Harry Potter is meant to have a scar on his forehead.” He said warily. “Yes it was from residual dark magic from the curse fired, I can tell you now that there are a lot of misconceptions about that night.” Hadrian said in a hard voice, he was livid at Dumbledore and when he found the people he needed to, Dumbledore would wish he were never born. The old man was taken a back, the child sounded a lot older than four and he wondered what had happened to the boy other than what happened that faithful night. “I would like the colour scheme to be that of the Potter family colours, greens, blues, black, white and platinum.” The man slowly nodded before Harrison continued, “I want it keyed into my magical signature, so no one can get in without my consent.” Ragnok had recommended that “I want all the protection charms available to be placed on it and to be able to shrink it at will.” The man nodded adding it to the parchment. “What material would you like it covered in?” “Black dragonhide, with platinum fastenings and detailing’s, I want my family crest on top and the initials HJP on the ends both in platinum.” Hadrian said, he knew he had to come across as the heir to this man, he couldn’t risk the man blabbing. “Of course young sir, would you like the potions lab fully stocked?” “Yes please to mastery level, all the supplies I might need.” The man nodded, he could easily get the things he needed for the trunk and have it ready in a couple of hours, all with the help of magic. “How many compartments would you like apart from the rooms, to explain, what I mean is that one compartment will hold the quarters, what would you like for the other compartments?” “Oh right … I would like one compartment for all my clothes, one for all my schoolbooks and a small compartment for pens, paper and notebooks etc.” The man nodded again before asking what he wanted the size to appear like from the outside “Average size that is what the school list says.” “Okay then Heir Potter, I will have it ready in a couple of hours, it will be §2000.” Hadrian nodded and paid before leaving to head to flourish and Blots. When he arrived there he asked to see all the rarest books they had available, and bought them all, his favourite book was on magical focus making, that book alone cost him §400, he really wanted to make his own wand, if he did so, it would mean that the ministry could not track his magic. An hour later he returned to the trunk shop, when he walked in he saw that his trunk, was in the middle of the shop and it looked spectacular. The man who ran the shop walked out and greeted Hadrian, telling him about how to use all of the compartments etc. The man then pulled out a matching Black dragon hide satchel with platinum buckles and the potter crest branded in the corner “This is a present Heir Potter, I rarely get to make such exquisite trunks and I thought you might like a school bag to match.” Hadrian beamed up at the man. “Thank you very much sir, it is amazing.” Hadrian then sent a surge of magic at the trunk to shrink it and slipped it into the satchel before securing the satchel over his shoulder and paid the man §2000 plus a hefty tip before walking out of the store. He then made his way back towards his portkey point, he couldn’t wait for tomorrow, it would be a very busy day. He portkeyed back to Privet Drive and ran through the front door to find his aunt and uncle, he found them in the living room, “Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia.” He greeted with a nod, they were both gawping at him, he obviously looked very different. Then Uncle Vernon snapped out of it “What freakish things have you been doing boy!” the man growled quickly advancing on Hadrian who stood his ground while focusing on his magical core and raising a shield of magic. Hadrian sneered “I think it is time we had a word don’t you?” He pushed at his magic and forced both his aunt and uncle back onto the sofa. “While I was cleaning today I found my mothers old school trunk which informed me that I was a wizard, I then took a portkey to Gringotts bank where the healed me from your ‘loving care’. I am not going to argue with you about this, I know you abuse me because you don’t want me and to be perfectly honest I think that I would personally rather be anywhere but here. However we have a problem I cant leave without letting Dumbledore know that I have. SO this is what is going to happen, I am going to be attending a private school that had a boarding and summer programme, you wont see me again until I am eleven and even then it will only be for a day or two, I will be leaving tomorrow, I am hoping I can go straight to school, if not I will go and stay in a hotel.” Both his aunt and Uncle looked stunned, he just left them, he didn’t care if they hadn’t wanted him, they were despicable people, all muggles were, they feared what they didn’t understand and sought to destroy it. He went into his cupboard and returned his trunk to its original size before entering it. He looked around as he entered the trunk, it was amazing, there was one massive room that housed the dining, kitchen and living room, from this room there were doors that led off into the other rooms. The kitchen had white marble counter tops with black cabinets and accessories, he then looked at the sofa which was a dark bottle green, the leather was soft. He continued looking around appreciating the sound of his shoes on the hard oak flooring. He then went to look at the master bedroom, his bedroom he thought giddily. He stepped through and gasped the room was amazing, the room was a decent size and had a king size oak sleigh bed which matched the floor, it had matching bed size tables and a beureau in the corner, there was also a matching chest of drawers and a wardrobe. The bed was dressed in a white fitted bed sheet with navy silk covers which had platinum detailings. He smiled before looking around the rest of the rooms and putting away his new books. He woke up the next day dazed and confused, where was he? Then it all came crashing back to him, he was a wizard, a very rich wizard and he was going to private school. He looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table, it was only six o clock so he decided to look through his acceptance letter and school supply list. Heir Hadrian James Potter You have been accepted into Riddale preparatory school, term begins on September 1st however students can arrive from July 1st. Our school specialises in preparing you for your future in politics. The school allows you to work at your own pace, is tailor made to your learning, professors are there to guide you and keep you focused. Please find your attached supply and uniform list, we look forward to seeing you soon. Headmaster William Dante Hadrian turned over to the next page and gaped as he read the uniform list. UNIFORM LIST DAY UNIFORM • Tailored grey shorts, matching waistcoat and suit jacket with school emblem on the pocket. • White long sleeved shirt • Purple school tie with school crest • Grey socks with sock garters • Black braces • Black Brogues • Purple flat cap with school logo OUTSIDE WEAR • Purple school coat with school crest. • Purple and Grey striped school scarf • Grey gloves • Grey and Purple school beanie with school crest • Grey school Wellingtons with school crest PHYSICAL EDUCATION UNIFORM • Striped Rugby shirt with school crest. • Grey sports shorts with school crest • Grey tracksuit bottoms with school crest • Grey t-shirt with school crest • Purple football socks with school crest. • White Astroturf trainers • White football boots • Purple swimming trunks with school emblem • Traditional tennis uniform. • Traditional cricket uniform • Fencing Uniform RIDING LESSON UNIFORM • Purple polo shirt with school crest • Jodhpurs • Black calf high riding boots • Riding hat • Traditional competition clothes ‘Wow’ Harry thought, that was a lot of uniforms; he couldn’t imagine how much it was going to cost. He turned to the next page to look at his supply list. Once again his jaw dropped. SUPPLY LIST Stationary • Traditional Calligraphy set. • Fountain Pens • Pencils • Coloured Pencils • Beginners Art Set • 10 x exercise books • 10 x lever arch files • Geometry set Sports • Tennis equipment • Fencing equipment • Hockey equipment • Gum shield • Riding equipment Technology • Laptop • Tablet • Camera Miscellaneous • Trunk • Satchel • Recreational clothes • Night Clothes • Entertainment • Bed Linen for a double bed. • Toiletries Hadrian gasped, bloody hell that was a lot of stuff he had to buy. He glanced at the clock again; it was eight o clock so he still had half an hour before Joe had to pick him up. He got out of bed and stretched languorously. He made his way to the bathroom and stripped before stepping into the massive shower and turning it on full blast, it was automatically the right temperature and he wished he could stay under there for a long time, but he couldn’t so he quickly washed his hair, and then stepped out before stepping in front of the mirror. He needed to dry his hair and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to test his magic. He closed his eyes and tries to feel his magic, it didn’t take very long and soon it was humming under his skin he opened his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, he was shocked when as soon as he had done it his hair was dry. “I love magic.” He said to the mirror. He then opened the bathroom cabinet which was fully stocked with toiletries, he needed some hair gel, he needed to style his hair to look very smart with a touch of attitude, he knew that he had plenty of attitude. He smirked when he found some Hair putty and quickly styled his hair combing it to one side and messing up the front a bit, the end result made him look very smart but also portrayed the fact that he was a tad rebellious. He ran through to his bedroom and slipped on his boxers, relishing in the fact that they fit him properly, he then slipped on his plain white Armani T-shirt and the jeans he wore yesterday before he slipped on navy socks before slipping into his navy oxfords. He looked in the mirror while he slipped on his navy blazer. There was something wrong with the outfit, it wasn’t him, he sighed it was nearly there what was wrong with it, he smirked before quickly pushing the sleeves of his blazer up to his elbows, that was much better, he looked smart but it wasn’t geeky it was just the look he wanted. He needed to be ready when Joe came so he quickly grabbed his satchel and made his way out of the trunk, shrinking it and placing it in the satchel, he went outside to wait for Joe, he didn’t say goodbye if his plans went well he would never have to return. Ten minutes later a black range rover sport pulled up outside number four privet drive and a tall man with grey hair that was receding stepped out, he was dressed all in black, black t-shirt, black slacks and black suit jacket, he looked like a typical body guard. He strode up to Hadrian and they introduced themselves before Joe opened the back door and Hadrian slid in. Sitting in the back of the car Hadrian felt a bit overwhelmed, his whole life had changed in the space of twenty four hours, he took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles, it seemed that for now he had to go along for the ride. He did like Joe, the man was grandfatherly and seemed very nice, he knew about how the Dursleys had treated Hadrian and it seemed he was already very protective of him. Hadrian rolled down the privacy screen and Joe smiled at him in the mirror. “Where are we going first?” Hadrian asked shyly, he knew that the goblins had told Joe where they would need to go. “I thought it would be best to get your uniform and equipment first, it will take less time than getting your whole wardrobe.” “Is there a certain shop we go to?” “Yes Riddale students get their uniform from a shop quite near here, they have all the things you will require for school.” Ten minutes later they were pulling into a car park, and Hadrian eagerly looked out of the tinted windows, there was only the one shop here, it was simply called Riddale. Joe opened the door and Hadrian jumped out, he suddenly felt very nervous, Joe squeezed his shoulder in a comforting manner before leading him into the store, for the next two hours Hadrian was fitted with the day uniform which was made from the finest materials. He got five of each of the garments and ten of the socks. He was also fitted for all of his sports gear including pads and gum shields. He also had been fitted for his riding gear and his outer wear as well as his fencing and competition wear. He had never been more bored. After he had been fitted for all of his uniforms he went around the shop and purchased a hockey stick, and two medium sized duffel bags with the Riddale logo on. He also bought all of his stationary there. By the end of it he was exceptionally bored and all he could think was that he had to go and buy a whole wardrobe next. All of his uniform and accessories came to over £2000. Joe piled all of the purchases in the boot in boxes, and Hadrian flopped in the back seat. He started when he felt the car pull off “Ugh Joe how long will it take?” Joe laughed and smirked into the mirror “Oh Master Hadrian are you tired?” he asked mockingly. Hadrian scowled playfully “All jokes aside, we have to get my electrical stuff and my wardrobe I am actually going to die.” “We are going to the Apple store next, they make the best electronics, getting your wardrobe shouldn’t be difficult, we will just go into Harrods and get a ton of clothes you like.” The next thing Hadrian knew Joe was shaking him awake and they were outside the apple store. Hadrian walked inside and looked around in awe, there were so many electronics and he was allowed to buy what he wanted. He looked at all the different laptops and decided on a 13” MacBook Pro, it was the most expensive but he felt that it would be perfect. He also chose the iPad pro as his tablet and decided to buy the iPhone 7 as a phone so he could contact people. He then looked at the camera’s these were new, had only come out that morning they were professional bridge camera’s so Hadrian bought one of these as well. He then went around the store and much to Joe’s amusement picked out every accessory available, including a dock and headphones. When they totalled up his purchases it came to around £7000 and Hadrian left the store with a smile on his face happily setting up his new iPhone. He added Joe’s number and the number for his accounts manager at Gringotts while Joe drove them to Harrods. Apparently someone had overheard that Heir Potter was going to Harrods because the Press were crowded outside the building. Hadrian heard Joe growl as he parked the car and let Hadrian out putting an arm around him and guiding him into the store while the cameras flashed and the reporters shouted questions. Hadrian felt very overwhelmed, he knew that the Potters were quite famous but he never thought that the press would mob him. When they eventually made it into the shop, Joe pulled him to the side and knelt in front of him with his hands on Hadrian’s shoulders “Are you okay Hadrian?” Joe asked softly looking directly into Hadrian’s eyes. “Yes, its just a bit overwhelming.” He whispered, Joes squeezed his shoulders before leading him off to the children’s section where an assistant followed them around with a trolley while they chose clothes for Hadrian, everything from suits, to underwear and pyjamas, everything was designer. They then went to the shoes and he chose his school shoes as well as about ten other pairs of shoes and some slippers. Three hours later after trying on a ton of clothes Hadrian was on his way to a magical equestrian centre where a horse from Potter Manor had been left for him to meet. Joe had explained that magical horses were for life, they started as a blank canvas, a plain white horse as a foal, it would stay like that until it found a human, when it met its owner the person would let their magic seep into the horse, it would change its looks to represent their owner and they would always become the perfect size for their owner and as long as the person was alive the horse would stay alive as well. Hadrian was really excited to meet his horse, after he had met it, it would be transferred to the school in a horsebox and Hadrian would meet it there when Joe dropped him off that night. He and Joe spoke about general things and Joe was surprised by Hadrian’s exceptional intelligence. After what felt like hours they pulled up outside a massive building. It was a massive barn and there was a massive sign saying ‘Evan’s Equestrian Centre’ Hadrian smiled, this obviously belonged to his mothers side of the family. Joe gently guided Hadrian inside and spoke to a man who pointed to a stall within the barn; Joe nodded before leading Hadrian to the stall. Hadrian almost shuddered when he saw the horse, it was a bit disconcerting, the foal was entirely white, no colouring even in the eyes. Joe crouched down and looked at Hadrian “All you have to do is infuse your magic into your hand and stroke along it’s flank, find your magical core and allow it to pool in your hand.” He spoke softly. Hadrian closed his eyes and found his magical core before pulling it up his arm and into his hand, he opened his eyes and gently stroked his hand along the horses flank. Hadrian gasped as the horse began to change, becoming into a male and growing to the correct height for Hadrian, eventually the changes stopped and Hadrian was looking at his new horse. It had grown to be about eight hands high, and had filled out a bit but sill looked a bit gangly due to him matching Hadrian’s growth. The colts coat was a mottled grey which darkened to black along his legs, his mane and tail were pure black, however what struck Hadrian was the colt’s eyes, they were intelligent and staring at Hadrian expectantly, the forest green eyes spoke of stubbornness and loyalty and Hadrian smiled broadly before stroking along the horses mane “Hey boy, how’re you? Aren’t you a handsome boy?” He said softly and the colt preened under his praise, Hadrian beamed as he thought of the perfect name for his new friend “I think the perfect name for you is Celsus it means proud in Latin.” The horse nudged Hardian’s hand gently as a green head collar appeared on Celsus with his name embroidered in silver. Hadrian smirked before stepping back and looking at Joe who was watching the interaction with sparkling eyes. “We need to leave Hadrian you will see him at the school later.” Hadrian nodded before stroking Celsus one last time and muttering a goodbye. Hadrian looked at his new watch on his wrist; it was three o clock in the afternoon and they had to be at Riddale for five and it was a long drive. “Okay Hadrian we are going to put all the bags in the back with you so you can put it all in the trunk for when we get there.” Hadrian nodded and climbed in the back while Joe brought all the bags and put them on the floor at his feet. Hadrian resized his trunk and started to put everything in his trunk, it was then he realized how much they had brought from Harrods. They had bought cashmere jumpers in all different colours, slacks, chinos, shirts, vests, waistcoats and every other article of clothing you could imagine. It took him the whole journey to sort his trunk out while he and Joe spoke, Joe kept trying to gage Hadrian’s intelligence, the young boy seemed to know everything. Three hours later Hadrian gaped as they drove up the driveway to the school, Riddale Preparatory School was set deep in the English country side and was based in an old stately home, it was the most amazing thing Hadrian had ever seen, however he quickly composed himself as they pulled up to reception and parked as a woman dressed in a smart charcoal suit stepped out of the building ready to greet them. Joe glanced at him reassuringly before getting out the car and holding Hadrian’s door open for him. Hadrian slid smoothly from the car and allowed Joe to pull his trunk out. “Hello I am the Headmaster’s secretary Mrs Brisbane.”


	3. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time moves on ... Hadrian is growing up fast.

Hadrian had just started his third year at Riddale, and he loved it. He had met his best friend on his first day, Blaise Zabini was also a wizard, his mother worked away a lot, which meant that Blaise also stayed at the school over summer, although his Mother did visit every other weekend. Blaise was about an inch shorter than Hadrian and had olive coloured skin, Blaise had Dark brown hair and eyes, he made for a striking picture and he and Hadrian had hit it off right away. Hadrian was the top in all his classes, he loved to learn, however he also tended to get a lot of detentions. He wasn’t rude to teachers, however he did make it known if he didn’t agree with something. He also was very gung hoe in sticking up for his friends, which tended to be problematic as Blaise could annoy people, as he had no filter. Doctor Craven was Hadrian’s personal tutor and half the time he didn’t know what to do with the boy, it was obvious from his behaviour at the beginning of first year that he had been badly abused, however when questioned about it Hadrian just said that it was being dealt with. It was also strange that Hadrian had not had any visitors since he had been at Riddale. Craven just brushed it off and tried to help Hadrian as much as he could, as a school Riddale was quite pleased with Hadrian, if only he could control his temper outside of the classroom. 

Currently Hadrian was riding Celsus through the forest that surrounded Riddale, he loved riding, it felt so natural and he felt so free, he and Blaise spent a lot of their free time riding, however this weekend was one where Blaise’s Mum Loretta was visiting, she always invited Hadrian to join them as she knew his parents, however Hadrian often refused feeling that Blaise deserved this time alone with his Mum. Most of his other friends Silas, Fritz, Samuel and Joshua went home every weekend, none of them were wizards but Hadrian was close to all of them. Hadrian pushed Celsus hard jumping over fallen trees and large dikes, he had been out here three hours already and he needed to head back to the stables if he didn’t want Dr Craven on his back. As he slowed Celsus to a walk outside the stable he saw Dr Craven walking down from the school with a tall man with shoulder length Black glossy hair wearing a black jumper and black jeans. Hadrian shrugged it off swiftly dismounting Celsus and relieving him of his tackle. Hadrian had grown in the last two years and now stood at 50.6” and weighed around 50lb’s he was tall for his age but exceptionally lithe and packed with muscle from all of the sports that Riddale encouraged. Today Hadrian was dressed in and old pair of Henley blue skinny jeans that were faded, a white t-shirt and an old grey cashmere jumper with his ankle-riding boots. As he stood and fed Celsus an apple he shed the jumper, it was the tenth of September and still pretty warm, Hadrian was sweating from his ride and rubbed the jumper over his hair trying to get rid of some of the sweat. 

Severus Snape-Prince was still in shock, two days ago he had been called into Gringotts, once there he had been told that he had several obliviates that pertained to some important information and that someone had paid to have them removed. Severus had agreed and the goblin healer had put him to sleep. Three hours later when he woke up Severus Snape was livid, how could Dumbledore do that? Where was Hadrian? Where was Tom? God Padfoot and Bellatrix were innocent and in Azkaban what were they going to do? His memories had revealed that he had in sixth year made friends with the Marauders after they had apologised to him. James and Lily had made him Hadrian’s Godfather, and that Dumbledore had in fact murdered Lily and James and had managed to send Tom into a Spirit form when he had tried to protect Hadrian. He had asked the Goblins about Hadrian and found that just over two years ago the child had been to Gringotts and had started at a private school to get away from his abusive relatives. Severus felt like screaming when he found out what Dumbledore and those beasts had done to his precious Godson. He had wanted to leave then and there to go and see Hadrian, however he was informed that the children were only allowed visitors at the weekends. The Goblins then proceeded to tell him that his grandfather had not disowned him and that he was in fact Lord Prince. Severus had gone home and fallen straight to sleep dreaming of his Godson.

Now it was Saturday and Severus had just arrived at Riddale, he looked around and felt satisfied that Hadrian was at least in a safe place away from the Dursleys. He made his way to the reception, “Hello I’m Severus Prince I’m here to see my Godson Hadrian Potter.” The woman was just about to call someone to fetch Hadrian when Severus said “Actually before you do that could I talk to someone about his progress?”

The woman nodded “Of course let me see if Dr Craven is free, he is Hadrian’s personal tutor.” The woman picked up the phone and dialled the extension “Hello Dr Craven, I have a Severus Prince here to see Hadrian, however he would like to talk to someone about Hadrian’s progress.” There was a pause as the person on the phone responded, “Okay then I will bring him up, do you want me to get a spot on Hadrian’s location?” The person on the phone replied and the woman agreed before hanging up “If you will follow me Mr Prince, I will take you to Dr Craven.” Severus was led up through the old manor, and he saw children of all different ages running through corridors, they travelled right up to the top of the manor “All the Professor’s offices are on this floor.” She led him to the end office and knocked on the door before opening it “Dr Craven I have Severus Prince for you.” The woman then left leaving Severus with a middle aged man with golden blonde hair, the man was handsome, 6ft5” he was a bit taller than Severus and the man was incredibly lithe and dressed in a grey charcoal suit with a white shirt and a purple tie.

“Do sit down Mr Prince, would you like a tea or coffee?” the man asked after firmly shaking Severus’ hand. After the initial pleasantries Dr Craven started to speak of Hadrian. “Here at Riddale the children work at there own pace through the curriculum. We believe that by the time Hadrian leaves Riddale at age eleven he will have university degrees in at least two subjects.” A this Severus very nearly gaped, just how clever was Hadrian “Hadrian also enjoys sports, he is the captain of the under eight football team and he has won every riding competition he has entered, he also enjoys fencing and tennis. Hadrian is very respectful to teachers, however he can become quite bored in class if we do not keep him on the right track, he can become disruptive in class if he has been allowed to slack on his work, because as clever as he is Hadrian is also only seven an he is still ruled by his emotions. Hadrian’s best friend is Blaise Zabini and together they lead a group of four other boys, Silas Montgomery, Fritz Goman, Samuel Goddrey and Joshua Sever. As a group they get on well with Hadrian and Blaise spending most of their time together.” It was only then that Severus recognised the name Zabini, they were a prominent family in the wizarding world and Lorelle Zabini had been quite close to Lily. “Hadrian gets in trouble quite a lot only because he is very protective of his friends. Blaise can be quite extroverted and this can rub other students up the wrong way especially the older ones, Hadrian is often very vocal in his defence of his friends. I don’t know what you know of Hadrian’s home situation, however a lot of staff have suspected abuse, I have not pushed Hadrian on this matter because he never goes home anymore, however when he leaves the school in a few years I might need to reconsider.”

Severus interrupted at this point “I will be taking over Hadrian’s guardianship I the very near future.” Dr Craven looked surprised at this but brushed it aside for now.

“Okay then, would you like to see Hadrian now?” Severus nodded “Okay then let me see if I can find him, “All the children at Riddale are given a watch when they arrive, it contains a tracker, we have such large grounds that it would be easy for them to get lost, also at the weekends they have free rein as long as they follow the school rules, I usually spend a lot of my weekend with Hadrian, however I had a lot of paperwork this week so I don’t know what he is up to.” As he spoke, he was tapping away at his computer “Ah it seems he has been riding, he looks like he is heading to the stables, if you will wait a minute.” Severus watched as the man shed his jacket and tie before undoing his top button and putting on a purple cashmere cardigan he pulled from his drawer “I try not to wear a full suit around Hadrian, he tends to go into political mode when I do, it puts him on alert which makes it exceptionally difficult to get him to talk to me.” Dr Craven led Severus out of the building and onto the grounds, nodding to certain students and chastising others for running inside “At Riddale it is compulsory for students to bring a horse with them and there is a riding lesson every weekday, the children are slowed to take their horses out as long as it is not extreme weather and that it is still daylight hours and as long as they wear a helmet. Hadrian is an amazing rider if not a little over adventurous for my tastes, I think that child has given me numerous heart stopping moments. Both Hadrian and Blaise ride very well.” As they neared the stables Severus saw a boy on a horse canter out of the forest before slowing to a stop outside the stables, he watched as the boy swiftly dismounted “That is Hadrian,, he looks like he has been out here for a few hours.” Severus watched as his godson expertly removed the tackle from his horse before stripping out of his jumper and wiping it through his sweaty hair. I watched as he led the horse into its stable before closing the door and turning round.


	4. Getting to know you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrian and Severus spend time together.

When Hadrian turned around he came face to face with Dr Craven and a man dressed in a black suit. “Dr Craven” Hadrian greeted formally before turning to face the other man “Sir” he bowed his head minutely, you never knew who you would meet at Riddale and so it was wise to treat strangers with respect.

“Ah Hadrian I see you have been riding.” Dr Craven beamed, “however I do not see your riding hat.” Hadrian squirmed under Dr Cravens disapproving gaze. Hadrian hated having to wear a helmet and refused to unless in a lesson or competition “We will talk about this later Heir Potter you have had plenty of wanings.” Hadrian flinched when at Dr Cravens use at his formal title, “However I have someone here who wishes to meet you, Hadrian this is Lord Severus Prince, your Godfather.” Hadrian’s breath caught in his throat, how could he have forgotten that the goblins were telling Severus a couple of days ago, how could he have been so stupid.

Hadrian bowed at his waist, the man may be his Godfather, however he did not know him and he was a Lord “Lord Prince, it is a pleasure to meet you properly.”

Severus watched as his Godson was rebuked for not wearing his helmet and almost smiled, he could tell that the child liked Dr Craven and that he disliked the disappointment in the mans tone. His breath caught as he was introduced to Hadrian and he watched as Hadrian gave the formal greeting to a lord, bowing at the waist one arm across his back and the other across his stomach. Severus’ heart clenched, as much as he liked that Hadrian had learnt the proper greetings, he should have known Severus enough to know that it was unnecessary between them, Dumbledore had a lot to answer for.

“Hadrian.” Severus said softly, Hadrian immediately met his eyes “Such formalities are unnecessary, if it were not for a certain individual we would know each other well.” Severus could see that Hadrian was a bit nervous and quickly searched for something that would ease the tension “Perhaps you could show me around the school and grounds.” 

Hadrian quickly darted his eyes to Dr Craven searching for some reassurance in such a strange and unfamiliar situation. Dr Craven smiled at him and Hadrian instantly relaxed “That is a good idea Hadrian, perhaps you can show him to your room first and change into some more appropriate clothes?” Dr Craven said eying the grass stains on his jeans disdainfully. 

Hadrian blushed “Of course sir, wearing such clothes would be undignified in the present company.” 

“Off you go then Hadrian, I will make sure that Celsus has food and water.” Hadrian nodded and started to lead Severus back up to the school when he heard. “Oh and Hadrian, you can report to me at nine tomorrow morning, I haven’t forgotten about your lack of helmet.” Hadrian nodded respectfully before leading Severus back towards the school.

They walked for a few minutes before Hadrian said “I had completely forgotten that the bank would be telling you about the situation.” Being vague enough that any eavesdroppers would not understand something that he had learned in politics.

Severus chuckled “I had thought so with your look of shock, when I was introduced. I decided that I wanted to meet you before taking Lucius and Narcissa to Gringotts, the both would have been impatient to see you and it would have been overwhelming, at least when they do come you will now at least be familiar with me.” Severus said as Hadrian led him to one of the buildings adjacent to the main school.

“Yes I had worried about meeting you all at once, most of my interaction with adults, has either been with teachers or the Dursleys, as I’ve been living at the school for the last two years most of my interactions are with my peers.” Hadrian said as he keyed in a code to the stone building and then swiped his student card, “This is the current 3A house, on this floor we have a small Library, a kitchenette for snacks, a room for studying, a games room, living room and a bathroom.” Severus looked around, they were currently in the living room, it was decorated in light greys with accents of purple, “All the communal rooms are decorated with the school colours but our bedrooms are our own domain.” Hadrian quickly took off his shoes before glancing at Severus “I’m sorry but I will have to ask you to take your shoes off, there is no tolerance for shoes in the house, I would get told off.” Hadrian spoke apologetically.

Severus laughed as he slipped off his black oxfords putting them on the available shoe rack “From what I hear, you do not need help getting into trouble.” He grinned looking down at Hadrian who smiled shyly up at him in reply as he led them through to the kitchenette.

“No I really don’t, the school would be a lot more bothered by it if I wasn’t doing so well in my academics. I’m just going to get a drink before we go up, I’ve been out riding for hours and forgot my water, would you like anything o eat or drink, I’m afraid we don’t have coffee, they don’t think that allowing seven year olds unrestricted access to caffeine is a good idea.” 

Severus chuckled at Hadrian’s disgruntled tone “I can see how that would be a bad idea and no to the refreshment I had something in Dr Craven’s office.” Severus chose to ignore the comment about adults until they were in a more private area. Severus watched as Hadrian gulped down two glasses of water before putting his glass in the dishwasher. 

Hadrian led him up a flight of stairs saying “The maximum number of students per year is fourteen and each year group is split into A and B after a month of being here. In my year group we have thirteen students six in 3A and seven in 3B. “ They reached the top of the stairs “There are four bedrooms on this floor and three on the next, Josh, Silas, Fritz and Samuel are on this floor.” Hadrian said before leading Severus up another flight of stairs “Me and Blaise are on this floor, I think you know the Zabini’s, Lorelle has spoken of you if only briefly.” 

Severus nodded as he watched Hadrian tapping another code and then sliding his student card to enter his bedroom “Yes Lorelle was four years above me and you’re parents at school.” Severus looked around the room it was about twelve foot by fourteen foot and had a door, which Severus assumed led off to an en suite bathroom. On the far wall, there was a double bed made of oak, the bedding was navy blue with accents of dove grey, there was a car motif on the bedspread. Either side of the bed there were matching bedside tables on one side there was an alarm clock and on the other there was a photo. On the wall above the bed there was another photo. In one of the corners of the opposite wall there was a study area with a large L shaped oak desk currently housing a pile of books and a laptop, along half of one wall there was an oak bookcase. In the opposite corner there was a small dove grey sofa with a navy blanket thrown over the back of it. Severus looked to Hadrian who was in the far corner pulling clothes out of an oak wardrobe.

Hadrian turned to Severus “I hope you don’t mind, but I really need a quick shower, I’ll be like five minutes tops.” Severus nodded and Hadrian quickly made his way to the ensuite.

While Hadrian was busy Severus decided to have a closer look around, firstly he looked at the picture on the bedside table, it was a group of six boys all dressed in their school uniform, they were all stood in front of the main school building, Hadrian was in the middle of the group his arm slung over the shoulder of an olive skinned boy with dark hair, Severus assumed that this was Blaise, on Hadrian’s other side their was a boy with short blonde hair who was smiling nervously at the camera, next to Blaise there was a boy with ginger hair who was laughing, kneeling in front of the four boys were two boys one with blonde hair and one with brown, they were smiling cheekily at the camera. All the boys were dressed smartly, but Severus’ eyes were drawn to Hadrian, Hadrian was laughing his eyes bright with humour as he looked into the camera. Severus pulled himself away to look at the picture above the bed, it was in black and white, a picture of Hadrian on his own obviously taken without his knowledge, it was of Hadrian walking towards the camera obviously lost in his own world, the school behind him was covered in snow, Hadrian was dressed in grey suit trousers with a white shirt, a black overcoat protected him from the cold and he wore black oxfords. In the picture Hadrian was looking up at a tree an almost pensive look on his face. Severus loved the photo and was determined to get one for him. Severus then moved over to the bookshelf and desk, on the shelf nearest to the desk there were about twenty colourful ring binders with matching exercise books. On the desk there was another ten ring binders and exercise books, Severus opened the first book he came to it was full of notes in Hadrian’s perfect script it was full of chemical equations. Hadrian then came out of the bedroom dressed in a t-shirt with a motif of a dancing robot, a black bomber jacket and black ripped skinny jeans. Severus breath caught, he hadn’t truly realised until that moment how young his godson was, he acted so mature, so in control but now Severus realised that it was a coping mechanism left over from his early childhood, Hadrian hadn’t had anyone to rely on in those crucial years and so he learnt to rely on himself, but now, with rosy cheeks from the shower, bare feet and wet hair tousled from the towel Severus saw that Hadrian was a very young seven. “Hadrian.” He breathed and his voice shook, Hadrian dropped the towel and ran at him, Severus scooped him up and let Hadrian cry into his neck, it all must be so overwhelming for his little boy. Severus sat on the sofa, Hadrian curled impossibly small on his chest. They sat like that for half an hour until Hadrian ran out of tears. When Severus looked down at him he smiled, it was time to get to know each other.


	5. A day to remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrian meets the Malfoys.

It had been four weeks since Hadrian had met Severus for the first time and the man had spent each weekend with him, Hadrian could tell that Severus wanted to ask him about the Dursleys but that he knew that Hadrian needed more time, Hadrian had never been more grateful he knew that eventually his reprieve would run out but for now he was quite happy to enjoy his time just getting to know his Godfather. Today though he was a tad nervous and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was competing in a riding competition and everything to do with the fact that he was meeting the Malfoy’s. Hadrian was currently getting himself dressed for the competition and was stood in front of his mirror in plain white boxer briefs, he pulled out his starched white competition shirt, it had short sleeves and was fitted to his body when the buttons were done up. He then tied a white silk tie over it, making sure it was a perfect Windsor knot, just as he was about to pull on his white jodhpurs there was a firm knock on his door that he immediately recognised as Severus’ “Come in.” he called as he pulled the skin tight trousers over his hips and buttoned the fly. As he looked up he saw Severus stride into the room and close the door firmly behind him. Severus was dressed in a tweed suit, a white shirt, red tie and brown brogues and his hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. 

Severus smiled as he looked at Hadrian, the boy looked nervous and Severus doubted it was about the competition “I left the Malfoys at the entrance they have gone for a look around before the competition, how are you feeling?” Severus asked as he sat on the sofa.

Hadrian sighed as he pulled on silk white socks “I’m nervous, about the Malfoys more than anything.” He said as he pulled on his long black riding boots that had been freshly polished last night. He then strode to his dressing table and picked up his black tie pin and pinned his tie ensuring it stayed in the correct position, he was concentrating so much on this task that he did not realise that Severus was behind him until he felt hands firmly on his shoulders. Hadrian looked up into sparkling black eyes.

“You will be fine, everything will be fine Narcissa and Lucius are of course eager to meet you and are angry with Dumbledore, and you must remember that the obliviates have been removed, just concentrate on the competition you will not meet them until after you have ridden, are you almost ready?”

Hadrian nodded taking a deep breath “Yeah I just need my jacket, helmet and gloves, I tacked Celsus up this morning and prepared him and my whip is down there already.” Hadrian said as he pulled on his stark black riding jacket and did up his silver buttons, each button had his initials engraved. Severus passed him his hat and Hadrian picked up his white riding gloves before placing them in his jacket pocket. 

Severus turned Hadrian around so he was facing him “I know you’ll do great, you’re parents would be so proud of you Hadrian,” Hadrian hugged the man hard, and then they set off, Hadrian towards the stables and Severus to find the Malfoys. 

Hadrian smiled as he saw Celsus, the horse looked beautiful his coat shining in the sunlight, his competition tack all shining brightly “Hey boy,” Hadrian said softly his voice quiet “We have to win today, Severus is here for the first time and so are the Malfoys.” Hadrian put his helmet on half an hour later as the person before him trotted into the arena, he nodded to Blaise who had just competed before his slipped on his gloves and picked up his whip before swiftly mounting Celsus and heading towards the warm up arena, he had about half an hour before he was due to jump. Half an hour later Hadrian trotted into the arena and started the jumping course, it was quite a high level of difficulty and Hadrian loved it, pushing Celsus towards the jump, the feel of Celsus’ muscles beneath his body rippling as he steered him round the course, halfway through the course he saw Severus in the front row sat with two people with striking blonde hair but he quickly focused his attention on finishing the course, as they jumped over the last jump Hadrian sighed, it was over and soon the adrenalin rush would fade and he would meet the Malfoys. 

Severus sat with the Malfoys watching as Hadrian seemed to effortlessly make his way around the course, he had of course seen Hadrian ride before but until today he had never really understood how talented Hadrian was compared to the rest of his age group, they had seen children tumble to the ground or loose control of their horses. The only child that had neared Hadrian’s talent was Blaise and even he didn’t seem to be at the same level. 

Hadrian sat with Blaise on the stable doors as they waited for the results; Blaise’s mum hadn’t been able to come. “So are you nervous about meeting them?” Blaise questioned as he stroked his horse Storm.

“Kind of.” Hadrian replied as he hung off the door from his knees, his jacket had been abandoned to hang off the door and his hat was on the floor somewhere in the corner “I didn’t have time to get nervous about meeting Sev, I forgot that the bank was even telling him.” Hadrian swung himself back up and stood on the door, his head almost touching the top of the frame as he balanced precariously. “Have you seen where the others are?” Hadrian asked his eyes scanning the stables for his friends.

“Silas and Josh fell of so they are in medical and Fritz and Samuel are with their parents.” Blaise said as he slid off the stable door where he had been sitting and turned to look Hadrian in the eye. “Severus would kill you if he saw you standing like that.” Blaise said quietly.

“It would be a close call Mr Zabini.” Hadrian gulped as he heard the low rumble of his Godfathers silky voice. He jumped down quickly landing in a crouch and swiftly straightening to meet his Godfather’s eyes, behind Severus stood Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Lucius was dressed in a dove grey three-piece suit with a white shirt and pale blue tie, while Narcissa was dressed in a tea length pale blue dress with a white cardigan.

Severus stared down at his Godson whose face was lit up mischievously, from spending time with the child he knew that the boy was very rarely still and when he was it was in the most peculiar positions, but when he had walked round the corner and had seen Hadrian stood on the stable door his heart had ended up in his mouth. He crouched down to Hadrian’s level and sighed “At least try to be careful Hadrian.” He said softly, he knew that the child was nervous and this was likely to exacerbate how Hadrian normally acted. He stood back up to his full height and walked around so that he was behind the boy, he then placed his hands atop the boy’s shoulders and steered him towards Lucius and Narcissa.

Lucius stood next to his wife, just observing his long time friend and his Godson, both he and Narcissa had been furious when they had found out the extent of Dumbledore’s manipulations, and both of them had wanted to rush and see Hadrian immediately. However Severus had calmed them and had explained that Hadrian’s boarding school only allowed visitors at the weekend. There had been long discussions away from Narcissa about how the Dursleys had treated Hadrian, both Severus and Lucius knew that Narcissa would be distraught if she even saw the goblins examination. Lucius looked at his Godson, the boy had a light skin tone with midnight black almost blue hair, his hair had been cut recently according to Severus and no was about two incher long on the top and about an inch on the sides, it was parted on the right so the boys fringe sat to the left. As Lucius looked at the boy he could see that the boy had been given lessons in politics, a blank mask in place as their eyes met, the boy bowed at his waist an arm in front and one behind “Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, it’s a pleasure to meet you eventually.” Now Lucius had personally trained Draco in politics, but his son didn’t have the art to a tee like this boy obviously did. He and Narcissa had wanted to send Draco to a muggle private school however they hadn’t found one suitable, as Lucius looked around Riddale he thought that they may have finally found the perfect place. As Lucius observed everything Narcissa was already telling Hadrian to relax, and Lucius could tell that she was dying to hug the child. For the next half an hour they all spoke, even Blaise, about school and friends. That day Hadrian won first place but it was also the start of a new family.


	6. Good Days and Bad Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad people don't always hide in the shadows.

Tears and blood streamed down Hadrian’s face as he pushed Celsus forward, the previous day had been amazing, two weeks since first meeting the Malfoys they had brought their son Draco to meet him. Draco was a couple of months older than Hadrian though he was half an inch shorter; the boy had striking blonde hair like his parents. He and Hadrian had hit it off straight away and the Malfoys had decided that Draco would start to attend Riddale next term, both boys had been ecstatic, Hadrian had then introduced Blaise to Draco and it seemed that those two got on famously as well. ‘Yes’ Hadrian thought the day had been perfect, now though it seemed like the calm before the storm. 

This morning Hadrian and his friends had bounced into their Latin lesson all of them discussing what they could do once Draco arrived next term. As Hadrian had looked towards the front of the classroom he realised that they had a new teacher, Hadrian suspected that Mr Graves had retired and privately thought that it was about time, the man was ancient. As the lesson progressed though Hadrian decided that he would give anything to have Mr Graves back, Hadrian knew that he was an annoying student, he found it hard to concentrate and completed his work in a matter of minutes. At Riddale teachers would set individual wok for each student at their own level, currently Hadrian was studying for his Latin GCSE and he completed his assigned work in ten minutes, because of this he was bored, most teachers knew that Hadrian worked exceptionally quickly and tried to provide him with something that would hold his interest, however the new teacher Mr Lofter seemed irate that Hadrian had completed the work so quickly and even accused him of cheating. The man had quickly cut off Hadrian’s defence and proceeded to assign him detention and sent him to Dr Craven’s office. Hadrian had been furious and grabbed his satchel before storming out of the classroom. He refused to go to Cravens office and so he ran through the corridors and fled outside, he had spent the next hour sat on a bench in the remembrance garden, tears of frustration sliding down his face. He had then proceeded to Dr Craven’s office to try and explain the situation to the man, however it seemed that Mr Lofter had gotten there first and by the time Hadrian arrived Dr Craven was already furious with him insisting that Hadrian attend the detention and adding his own for the next day. Hadrian left the office feeling betrayed, the man hadn’t even listened to his side of the story.

At five o’clock that evening he had made his way to the Latin classroom gritting his teeth thinking that all he would have to do was some lines. As soon as he had entered the classroom the man had locked the door and Hadrian’s heart rate had sped up the man was holding a cane. “You are in need of some proper discipline, this school has let you run riot but I wont allow it anymore.” Mr Lofter snarled as he yanked Hadrian’s Blazer off of his shoulders, Hadrian had taken his waistcoat off before coming so his top half was only covered with the thin material of his school shirt. Hadrian’s brain shut down as he felt the first lash upon his back the sound of the cane whistling through the air bringing back memories of the Dursleys. Hadrian was brought abruptly back to earth as the cane caught his cheek on a particularly brutal lash, he gasped as the pain hit his body all at once. Then his instincts kicked in and he ran towards the door his accidental magic rendering the lock useless, he ran through the school his back dripping blood through his ripped shirt, the waistband of his shorts was becoming saturated. Hadrian barely registered as he ran past Dr Craven, he wanted Severus. He automatically ran towards the stables, as he reached Celsus who was out in the paddock grazing he used his momentum to mount the horse in one fluid motion, he quickly urged Celsus to jump the fence of the paddock and took off towards the forest.

Arthur Craven had had a difficult day, first thing this morning he had a phone call about one of his upper year students had been caught stealing from a nearby village shop, he had been so angry, and then the new Latin teacher Mr Lofter turned up and stated that Hadrian had been cheating, this just increased his ire and when the young boy turned up he didn’t even have the energy to listen to the boy and had quickly dismissed him telling him that he better attend the detention that evening and that he had another one the next day for not coming straight to him, later that afternoon as he thought about it his hands scrubbed at his hair as he groaned as he thought more about it the whole situation made no sense. Firstly Hadrian found Latin easy he would have no need to cheat, secondly Hadrian had never been one to hide from his sins, the boy admitted when he had done wrong and lastly like a punch in the gut he remembered Hadrian’s eyes flashing with betrayal as he had turned the boy away without listening to him. He felt sick to his core, it had taken such a long time to gain Hadrian’s trust and there was every chance he had just thrown it all away in a moment of frustration. He quickly looked at the clock it was quarter past five, Hadrian would be in his detention he shot up out of his chair and threw on his suit jacket hoping to meet the boy on his way back to the dorm, he needed to sort this out. 

As he strode briskly down the corridor of the east wing he heard fast steps and ragged breathing, he saw Hadrian rush round the corner and gaped, the boys face was covered in blood and he was dripping blood behind him ‘What had happened!!’ As Hadrian sped past him barely glancing in his direction he saw the problem, the boys shirt was torn and his back was bleeding, it looked like he had been lashed. Once he got himself moving again Hadrian was well ahead of him. He ran through the corridors barely catching glimpse of the boy, luckily he knew where the child was headed. As he neared the stable and paddock he saw Hadrian swiftly mount Celsus and jump the fence. He swore softly as the child rode bare back into the forest. He quickly looked around trying to find a big enough horse so that he could follow.

Celsus’ hooves hit the ground as Hadrian urged him on the horses shoes would clip tree roots as they stampeded through the forest jumping over fallen trees and dikes, Hadrian didn’t know where he was going until he saw a large tree in the distance, while he and Blaise had waited for the start of first year they had tried to build a tree house but it had only ended up as a platform high in the canopy. Hadrian pushed Celsus to his limits urging the horse to go even quicker, his ripped shirt flapped in his wake and the welts stung as the cool air whipped around him, as they reached the tree Hadrian pulled back hard on the reins causing Celsus to rear up before coming to a complete stop at the bass of the tree. Hadrian slid off his breath coming fast and hard he quickly tied the reins around the trunk before he hurried to climb the tree up to the platform, he sat there for ten minutes before he hear rustling in the forest as someone neared his destination he could only hope that Lofter hadn’t come to finish the job he thought with a shudder.

Arthur pushed his borrowed horse hard as he rode through the forest, he hadn’t a clue where Hadrian would go and he needed to find him quickly, just as he was about to turn around and go to check Hadrian’s tracker he saw Celsus tied up in the distance, he pushed forward again eager to reach the child he felt he had wronged. He came to a stop at the foot of the tree and quickly secured the horse as he looked up into the canopy of the tree and saw a platform. Arthur sighed internally trust Hadrian to be severely injured but still able to climb a tree. 

Hadrian shook as he heard someone start to climb the tree, he daren’t look to see who it was, he was getting cold, starting to feel numb. Shock was setting in. He nearly scrambled over the edge of the platform in his haste to get away as Dr Craven climbed onto the platform; normally Hadrian would be relieved to see the man but after today he didn’t know if he should trust him. The man crouched in front of him and started to speak, but Hadrian couldn’t hear him, the mans lips were moving but Hadrian could hear nothing, his vision was starting to fade around the edges and his last thought before he passed out was ‘Come on Severus.’

Arthur ran through the school Hadrian limp in his arms blood soaking into his sleeves from the boys back, he ran straight to the infirmary his heart beating out of his chest as he threw the doors open. An hour later Hadrian’s torso was wrapped tightly as he lay unconscious on the infirmary bed his pale skin looking grey against the stark white of the bed linen. Arthur sat next to the bed stroking his fingers through the tousled hair, luckily the cut on Hadrian’s face was not deep, it had bled a lot as facial wounds do, but hopefully it wouldn’t scar. While Hadrian was being patched up Arthur had called the police and Lofter had been arrested, he then contacted Severus Prince informing him of the situation, the man had informed him he would be there as quickly as possible. Arthur felt so guilty, why hadn’t he listened, he had no excuse it was his job to listen to the children of this school and he hadn’t done it, but it was worse because it was Hadrian, he had spent so much time with Hadrian since he had started school here, the boy had been so alone and now Arthur had let him down, he continued stroking the child’s head until he heard a door open, he looked back ready to defend Hadrian until he saw a pale Severus Prince stumble through the door.


	7. Puzzle Pieces That Don't Fit Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things need more than a plaster to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter to get us back on track from yesterdays surprise.

Severus had been feeling on edge all day, something was going to happen and he didn’t know what, he thought that the feeling would pass but it got gradually worse. It was at quarter past six in the evening when Severus’ wards alerted him to the fact that someone was trying to call him at Spinners End, he apparated there immediately, the only people that had his number was Hadrian’s school. Severus was nearly sick when he heard what had happened, he knew of course that it wasn’t the schools fault but he couldn’t help but feel irritated at them for employing someone who had hurt his Godson. He told Dr Craven that he would be there as soon as possible; unfortunately he couldn’t leave straight away because according to the school he lived an hour away. Fifty minutes later Severus was rushing through school corridors towards the infirmary, as he stumbled through the door his eyes immediately searched for Hadrian, his little boy looked so small, he ground his teeth as he saw the gash on Hadrian’s face. He stepped toward the bed slowly, he didn’t want to wake Hadrian up, he gently pushed the silky locks away from his sons forehead as Dr Craven once again explained what had happened and apologised for not listening to Hadrian. But Severus was barely listening as he pushed a little of bit of his magic into his Godson, he obviously couldn’t give the little boy potions, however he could encourage healing and take away the pain. He sat there for two hours stroking Hadrian’s hair while the boy lay unconscious, Dr Craven had left an hour ago to go and give his statement to the police. As hour two came to an end Severus saw Hadrian’s eyelashes flutter on his cheek as the boy gave a weak groan. Severus spoke soothingly as Hadrian came round. As soon as the boy came to he launched himself at Severus and started sobbing into his shoulder. Severus was shocked as he ended up with a lap full of Hadrian; he was shocked that the boy could move even with pain relief. He sighed as he felt Hadrian sobbing, “Hush Hadrian it’s okay I’m here now, hush its okay little man.” Half an hour and lots of soothing words later Hadrian had no tears left to cry. Hadrian’s back felt stiff as he sniffled into Severus’ chest, he looked up into his Godfather’s dark eyes and saw them brimming with concern. Severus started to ask him about the day, he wanted to know exactly what had happened. 

When Dr Craven walked into the room an hour later he saw Hadrian sat on Severus’ lap, he walked closer to the pair but as he neared Hadrian’s eyes met his and the boy flinched. Arthur felt sick Hadrian was scared of him, but he needed to apologise, needed to explain he couldn’t let Hadrian think that he didn’t care about him, he knew he had fucked up but he refused to give up after he had spent so much time gaining Hadrian’s trust, and so he pressed forward not stopping until he was less than a metre away from where they were on the bed, he crouched down to look in Hadrian’s eyes and it hurt his heart a little bit when Hadrian refused to meet his gaze “I’m so sorry Hadrian, I should have listened to your side of the story, I’m so sorry.” Arthur said softly.

Hadrian took a deep breath before meeting Dr Craven’s gaze squarely, deep down he knew he could trust the man, but he felt betrayed “Then why didn’t you?” Hadrian said his voice quiet and showing his distrust.

“I have no excuse Hadrian, I had other things on my mind and my priorities were mixed up, I assumed I could trust a member of staff to tell me the truth, and because of this I have to live with the fact that someone hurt you when I should have protected you, I can only hope that one day you will trust me again.” Arthur said his tone soft. Hadrian searched the mans eyes before jumping into his arms, he knew it was dangerous to forgive people so easily but he needed Dr Craven the man had meant stability for two years and at the minute when his life kept changing he needed that familiarity, he loved Severus but he had only recently met the man. 

Arthur nearly fell over when he received a lap full of Hadrian, but he welcomed the familiar weight of the boy in his arms, Hadrian had been so young at the start of first year, most children saw their parents rather regularly as they were so young and he had automatically been drawn to the young boy who seemed so alone, he had spent a lot of time with Hadrian and had been woken by the child frequently when he first arrived, even now Hadrian had regular nightmares. He breathed in deeply smelling Hadrian’s unique scent, it would take time but eventually Hadrian would trust him completely. He would make sure of it.

Severus looked on happy, he knew that Dr Craven was important to Hadrian; he knew that the man had helped Hadrian a lot and he was glad that Hadrian hadn’t held a mistake against the man. 

Hadrian spent the next week in the infirmary with frequent visitors. After that he was released as long as he took it easy. However the staff saw that he was still on shaky ground, like a puzzle that had been broken and now the pieces didn’t quite fit together.


	8. Time Skips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update, I had severe writers block and even now I' not overly happy with this chapter.

Severus smiled as he walked into Hadrian’s room, today was such an important day and he was so happy that it couldn’t be overshadowed by Dumbledore. Today was Hadrian’s eleventh birthday and he would be receiving his Hogwarts letter. Hadrian had graduated from Riddale Academy two months ago with two first class degrees in Politics and Business. It had been the proudest day of Severus’ life seeing Hadrian stood on the stage with Blaise, Draco and all of his other friends and he couldn’t help but remember the small scared boy he had first met after Gringotts, so much had happened since then. 

A year after he had reconnected with Hadrian, Severus and Lucius had decided that it was time to get Hadrian properly under Severus’ guardianship and so they had gone to Gringotts, after many discussions it had been decided that the goblins would create a false reading of Lily and James’ will announcing that Severus, Narcissa and Sirius were Godparents and that Severus was meant to have custody, unfortunately they couldn’t release the actual will because it gave clues to the Dark Lords return and announced Lily and James’ true allegiances. The release of the will definitely lead to some bad press for Dumbledore who had sealed the will illegally, but he didn’t get prosecuted because he had too strong a powerbase. Lucius and Severus had known that they could not get rid of Dumbledore that easily so their only goal had been getting rid of Dumbledore’s influence over Hadrians life, Dumbledore wouldn’t be able to speak to Harry at Hogwarts without Severus there because his role would only be that of a headmaster and not of a magical guardian. This also gave Severus the control he needed to sign a form to get Hadrian tested for ADHD. When Severus had spoken to Dr Craven the man had mentioned that he thought Hadrian had mild ADHD which would explain the boys constant need to be moving or fiddling with things. When Severus got the results he wasn’t surprised to learn that Hadrian did in fact have mild ADHD, it wasn’t severe enough that he would need medication but it allowed any teachers to know that Hadrian wasn’t being naughty by fidgeting it was just that he couldn’t help it. Since Severus had adopted Hadrian both him and Blaise had been coming to Prince Manor in the holidays and this often led to Draco sleeping over as well as the three were inseparable, and so the years had passed with a few bumps in the road, Hadrian had pushed the boundaries to begin with, making sure that he could trust Severus not to hurt him like the Dursleys did. 

But in the last year things had settled down and just last month Hadrian had asked Severus if it was okay to call him dad, the boy had rushed to explain that he wasn’t using Severus to replace James but that Severus was like a dad to him. Severus had hushed the boy gently as Hadrian nearly started hyperventilating. Severus had quickly reassured Hadrian that he would be honoured if he called him Dad. 

Severus crept closer to the bed watching as Hadrian’s small puffs of hair ruffled his fringe. Severus smiled. Since Hadrian had been staying with Severus regularly the boys nightmares had dwindled considerably and Severus had more than once crept into Hadrian’s room to watch him sleep. Lucius and Severus had spoken at length about whether or not Hadrian needed to see a mind healer but both of them had decided that he while there could be problems Hadrian would be exceptionally reticent to talk to anyone. Both men had also decided to keep the extent of the abuse from Narcissa until they felt she could handle it, the woman was already exceptionally protective over her godson and Lucius and Severus worried that it could be overwhelming for Hadrian if she found out. 

Severus sat down on the bed and stroked Hadrian’s hair back from his forehead “Come on Birthday Boy time to wake up.” He said softly, the young boy sighed and leant into Severus’ hand without opening his eyes “Come on Hadrian it’s time to come downstairs and eat you breakfast before everyone gets here to go to Diagon alley.” Sleepy green eyes looked up at Severus.

“’m tired Dad.” Severus chucked at the sleep addled boy who sat up and put his arms around Severus’ neck and buried his head in Severus neck so the man could feel warm puffs of air against his neck. Severus smiled and stood up with Hadrian still clinging to him.

“You’re getting too big for this.” Severus groaned as Hadrian’s legs wrapped around his waist, Severus carried his sleepy charge downstairs and into the dining room of Prince Manor and plopped the child down on his regular chair “Alright eat up so that you can get dressed, you need to be dressed smart today because there will be important people around Diagon Alley.” Severus grinned as Harrison groaned, the boy didn’t mind dressing smartly but he made a fuss every now and then. “I’ve asked Daisy to lay out clothes for you and I want you to style your hair neatly.” That was often a point of contention between Hadrian and Severus, Hadrian liked his hair a bit messy whereas Severus liked him to look smart. 

“Why do I have to look smart it’s not like we haven’t been to Diagon Alley before?” Hadrian muttered as he shovelled bacon into his mouth. 

“Because it is your birthday and because there will likely be media present to catch pictures of young heirs, with you, Draco and Blaise all shopping together it will be quite the spectacle. Anyway it’s your birthday so no long faces please else you won’t get your presents.” Severus and Hadrian had agreed that Hadrian could get a familiar for his birthday and Severus had also promised to get him anything he wanted from Diagon Alley, Severus knew that Hadrian wouldn’t push it as the child very rarely asked for anything anyway. Severus looked up and knew that Hadrian was definitely awake now, the boys’ hands were fidgeting and his knees were jumping, unless Hadrian’s brain was occupied he became very fidgety. Severus finished his breakfast and put a hand on Hadrian’s shoulder, the boy instantly stilled and Severus pulled a potion out of his pocket, it was a potion that he recently created especially for Hadrian it allowed him to calm down without completely turning him into a zombie like some muggle drugs. Hadrian took this potion every day even though it wasn’t exactly necessary. Severus smiled as Hadrian’s fingers stopped twitching. “Okay then we have to remember to give you that every day it works like a charm.” The boy giggled and ran off leaving Severus staring at a half-finished plate of food. That was another thing they were working on, Hadrian hated having to eat, Severus figured that it was from when Hadrian lived at the Dursleys. 

Severus heard a massive bang from upstairs and sighed yes, Hadrian was definitely awake. Ten minutes later a young boy came running into the dining room. Hadrian was dressed in navy tailored shorts, a white long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves turned up and a matching navy waistcoat, on his feet were brown oxfords. The young boy sat at the table and pulled out a notebook while Severus read the daily prophet. An hour later Zeus, Hadrians Great Grey Owl flew though the open window and landed on the table, holding out his leg showing a letter.

Mr H . Potter-Prince  
Heir Room  
Prince Manor   
Scotland 

Hadrian jumped excitedly up and down as he tore open the letter.

 

Hogwarts School  
of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

 

Dear Mr H. Potter-Prince,

We are pleased to inform you that, as you have now turned eleven years of age and have the necessary talents, you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your confirmation owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,   
Minerva McGonagall  
Minerva McGonagall,  
Deputy Headmistress

 

Hogwarts School  
of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Uniform  
First year students will require:  
1.Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2.One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3.One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4.One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags

Course Books  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)  
by Miranda Goshawk  
A History of Magic  
by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory  
by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration  
by Emeric Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi  
by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions  
by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them   
by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection  
by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales  
Students may also bring a familiar

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS


	9. Rite of Passage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping at Diagon and Hadrian gets his familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hadrians familiar at the minute - http://www.gentryboxers.com/uploads/1/6/6/2/16628898/girl-newborn_orig.jpg

For the next hour Severus struggled not to laugh as Hadrian buzzed around the room waiting for his friends to arrive. Severus knew that this had nothing to do with Hadrian’s ADHD and everything to do with going to Diagon Alley with his friends. Severus finally got Hadrian to sit down and read when he threatened him with cancelling the trip, he would never actually do that but he knew that it would work to remind Hadrian. Twenty minutes after that as Hadrian was writing notes on the Latin Homework Severus had set him there was a whooshing sound from the front hall and Hadrian’s head shot up looking pleadingly at Severus who nodded and before he knew it Hadrian was out the door. 

Hadrian hurried to the entrance hall eager to see who had arrived but as soon as he rounded the corner he was pulled into a hug where all he could see was bleach blonde hair and all he could smell was his Aunt Narcissa’s perfume. “Happy Birthday Hadrian.” She said loudly as she let him go. Hadrian thanked her before walking up to Draco, they high fived as Hadrian took in what Draco was wearing, he was dressed in a similar fashion to Hadrian only his shorts and waistcoat were in dove grey and his shoes were black. The two boys kept chatting even as Hadrian hugged Lucius. 

“I can’t believe we are getting wands Draco.” Hadrian said excitedly as they all settled in the dining room to wait for the Zabini’s to arrive.

“I know I’m so excited, and Dad and Uncle Sev decided we wouldn’t go to Olivander’s, they are going to take us into a shop in Knocktern Alley where this man makes each wand according to your magic.” Draco was quite proud at the look of shock on Hadrian’s face. His friends jaw had hit the floor.

“You mean they are letting us go to Knocktern Alley? The place they’ve been adamant we won’t go in for the last like four years?” Hadrian said quietly.

Draco nodded “Yep I can’t believe it either, do you think it’s because we’ve left prep school?” Draco whispered, this was normal for the boys trying to have a private conversation in front of their over protective parents.

“No, I think it’s because Olivander is as light as they come and that he’s been friends with Dumbledore since they were our age. Our parents aren’t stupid Draco they know that we are dark like them meaning our magic will be more attracted to darker wand core. Olivander would report that straight to Dumbledore, also Olivander will make sure that the ministry tracking spells go on our wand whereas my guess is that this wandmaker in Knockturn Alley won’t.” Hadrian said as he rolled a knut between his fingers. 

“You are right Hadrian.” Severus said from his place at the head of the table as he stared as his son intently. “All of your wands will no doubt show your leanings to the dark and so it is best if you keep them a secret except to those who also have dark leanings.” Both boys nodded knowing that until the dark was once more in power they would be persecuted for their magic if it was found out. Ten minutes later the Zabini’s were there and Blaise was dressed in the same outfit as Hadrian and Draco but in purple. Severus insisted on getting a picture of all three boys in front of the fire place, Hadrian in the middle because he was the tallest and the others either side of him, they stood with their hands behind their backs and big smiles on their faces.

The parents apparated their children to the alley and their first stop was Twilfit and Tatterings, this robe shop only catered to upper class clients and provided the luxury Hogwarts uniform. The boys were all fitted for silk lined robes, wool trousers and cashmere vests and jumpers along with a Hogwarts school silk tie. They also bought scarves, gloves and hats which would change to their house colours when they were sorted. Next, they went to Scrivenshafts where the boys brought reels of parchment along with parchment notebooks and envelopes. They also bought quills and sharpening knives. It was here that Hadrian asked for his first birthday present, he wanted an Eagle feather quill set, which Severus happily bought him before they moved onto the next store. Sluggs and Jiggers was next where all the boys restocked their potion kits and Severus ordered some potions ingredients to be delivered to Hogwarts for the store cupboard. The boys were getting more excited as they got further into the shopping trip and they watched bemusedly as the boys walked ahead of them and talked animatedly amongst themselves. The bell above the door rang as they walked into Flouish and Blotts, the shop was already busy now that it was a bit later in the morning and so they kept the boys close as they made their way to the front of the store and asked for three premium sets of first year books. The premium sets were of better quality and were leather-bound whereas the standard books were paperback. The next stop was to get the boys there scales and telescopes before they could go and get their wands. The boys were now vibrating with excitement because they knew that the next stop would be for their wands. The boys were practically bouncing as they walked along the alley towards the entrance to Knockturn alley. Severus and Lucius called the boys over while the women went to find a small tea shop to relax in. They looked down firmly at the boys while Severus said “We are trusting you to behave while we go down here, there are some dangerous people in Knockturn and there are lots of bad people down there, I don’t mean they are dark, they are just terrible people. So, you need to stay close to me and Lucius and you’re not allowed to touch anything until we reach the wand-makers.” The boys nodded dutifully and walked directly in front of the two men as they entered the dark alley.

Severus breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the wand-makers, neither he or Lucius had been eager to take the boys into Knockturn alley because he knew that a lot of men congregated here because of their preference to young boys. He knew that really none of them would touch a hair on the boy’s heads because of the power behind the Prince and Malfoy names but it was better to be safe than sorry. The shop was almost completely empty apart from a workbench and a wall of wand woods and wand cores. Severus felt the boys jumped as a middle-aged man appeared in front of them, Hadrian pushed back into him and Severus squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. 

“Oooh some young heirs how exciting.” The man said gleefully as he rubbed his hands together. Severus rolled his eyes at the man’s dramatics.

“Yes, three young heirs, let’s get to work, we have more to do after this.” The wand-maker nodded before going to stand behind the workbench.

“We will start with the Zabini heir.” The man said as he beckoned Blaise forward, Lucius nudged the boy forward gently and ten minutes later and a spectacular feat of magic on the wand-makers part Blaise walked away with a ten-inch wand made from oak and Occamy egg and a simple leather wrist holster. Draco went next and he walked away with an eleven-inch wand made from willow and with a core of Chimera scale, he walked away with a smile on his face while he strapped his wand to his arm. Hadrian stepped up nervously and the wand-maker smiled at him “Heir Prince, your wand arm?” the man said politely.

“I’m ambidextrous sir.” Hadrian returned. The man seemed giddy then and a smile stretched over his face.

“Very well then.” The man said as he flicked his wand and tape measures started measuring various parts of Hadrian’s body. The wand-maker pulled a selection of woods from the wall and put them in front of Hadrian while saying “These are the woods that often work with ambidextrous wizards, you might need to pick out two different woods and cores because each hand might have a different preference.” The man explained “If this happens you may need to pick out a focus stone to balance the ingredients.” Hadrian nodded as he let his magic reach out to the woods in front of him. His magic crackled ominously as it felt the holly wood so he pushed on ignoring it completely, soon he found that two woods felt warn and comforting to him. One was very dark grey and the other was pure white almost like ivory.

“Ooh very good,” the wand-maker said gleefully “The dark one is Black Ash wood and the white one is Aspen wood, both are very stubborn and biased towards their owners it would be a very bad idea for anyone else to use this wand Heir Prince. The Aspen also favours charm work. Now we will move onto wand cores.” The man said as he pulled out all the cores that could be remotely compatible with the woods, once he was finished Hadrian once again reached out with his magic, some of the cores felt abhorrent to his magic so he quickly skimmed over those and eventually he found two cores that made his magic sing through his veins. One was a golden white feather and the other was a vial of black liquid. “Okay so for cores we have a thunderbird feather and basalisk venom.” Hadrian heard sharp inhales of shock from behind him but chose to ignore them in favour of focusing on the stones that the wand-maker put in his view. He instantly felt the stone that called to him, a bright green emerald matching the colour of his eyes. Hadrian watched avidly as the wand-maker crafted his wand. When he was passed his wand, Hadrian felt a rush of warmth run through his body and green and silver sparks shot out of the wand. “There you go Heir Prince, eleven and three-quarter inch wand made from Aspen and Ash with cores of Thunderbird feather and Basalisk venom. Hadrian beamed at the man. Before making his way back to his dad who was looking at him proudly. Hadrian then asked if he could have a dragon hide holster as part of his birthday present. Severus agreed and went with Lucius to pay while the boys talked excitedly about their wands. Hadrian if it was possible got even more excited knowing that the next stop would be to get his familiar His dad passed him the holster and watched him fasten it and put his wand away before he and Lucius guided them from the store. When they reached Diagon Alley Lucius, Draco and Blaise went to meet with the mothers at the tea shop to wait for Severus and Hadrian.

Familiar shopping was a rite of passage in the magical world and it was also a special moment between a parent and child. Both Blaise and Draco had gotten familiars on their eleventh birthday. Draco had gotten a grey kitten called Storm and Blaise had gotten an Iguana called Pollux. They both loved their familiars and Hadrian couldn’t wait to have one of his own. Hadrian and Severus strode down the Alley while Severus explained the process of getting a familiar. “It really is very similar to getting a wand Hadrian, you will release a little bit of your magic while you are in the store and an animal will call out to you, once you have found the animal you wish to bond with, the store owner will create a small cut on your hand and on part of the familiar and you will touch cuts and this will allow you’re familiar to live until you die.” Severus’ familiar was a Hawk who was called Ares, he was vicious to anyone that wasn’t Severus or Hadrian and he followed Severus around like a sheep. 

When they reached the magical menagerie, Severus gave Hadrian a quick reassuring squeeze before leading him into the shop. Hadrian let a little bit of his magic flow into the shop and instantly felt a sharp tugging sensation in his chest, he followed his magic up to the counter where a small crup puppy lay on a cushion. Hadrian hesitantly reached a hand to stroke down the puppy’s back. The pup opened sleepy eyes before nibbling at Hadrian’s fingers. Hadrian was entranced, Crup’s were exceptionally rare and it was even rarer to have one as your familiar, they were fiercely protective. They looked like normal muggle dogs but had magical strength. They looked like whichever breed of muggle dog the crup had mated with. This one looked like a boxer but it could only be a week old at the most. As Hadrian was thinking Severus had gone to find the shop owner, it was obvious that his sons magic had chosen and although he was a bit worried because the pup was so young he knew that Hadrian would look after him well. Half an hour later Hadrian and Severus walked out of the shop Severus holding a bag containing essentials like a bed and toys along with bottles and formula, according to the owner the pup was only a week old and his siblings had all died on the first day when his mother had died. The shop owner had said that the pup had taken well to the bottle and that he was 100% he would survive with a familiar bond. Severus watched as Hadrian cradled the sleeping puppy, his eyes never leaving the small body huddled in his chest.


	10. Vulnerable but Protected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's birthday continues.

Hadrian and Severus walked into the tea shop and looked around to find their companions, they were seated in a corner and all of them were looking at Hadrian eager to find out what he had chosen as his familiar. Hadrian rushed over being careful to keep a firm grip on the pup that was snuggled into his chest, the pup was tiny and Hadrian’s heart fluttered each time the pup opened his eyes as if to check that Hadrian was still there.

“What did you get Hadrian?” Draco asked loudly earning himself a glare from both of his parents. Hadrian refrained from laughing as his friend hunched his shoulders sheepishly. Hadrian sat in a chair at the table and waited for Severus to sit down before he placed the crup on the table. The whole table gasped.

“Is … is that a crup?” Lucius asked in awe, everyone knew that crups were exceptionally rare and that it was difficult to be chosen by one. The last crup familiar had been over four centuries ago. The little brown, black and white ball shifted and yawned before opening his eyes and letting out a pitiful whine as he found himself out of Hadrian’s hands. Hadrian instantly picked the pup up and soothed him as Severus pulled out a bottle that the person in charge of the menagerie had given him in case the pup got hungry while they were still out.

“Here give this to him Hadrian, but don’t let him drink it too quickly.” Severus said as he passed Hadrian the bottle. “Yes, Lucius it is a crup and he is about a week old, the menagerie said that because he is magical, he is innately toilet trained, so that won’t be a problem, but because of how young he is the familiar bond may be even stronger than it would be if the pup was older.” The whole table watched in rapt attention as the little pup suckled on the bottle.

Blaise spoke next “So have you thought of any names Hadrian?”

The whole table almost groaned as a mischievous smirk lit up Hadrian’s face “Yes actually I thought I might name him Benedict it means blessing in Latin.” Hadrian said as Severus smirked, Hadrian was interested in everything.

“That’s an awesome name.” Draco said. Half an hour later they were already to head home so that Hadrian could open his presents from his friends and family. Severus held Benedict as he apparated him and Hadrian back to Prince Manor as he did not want the child to drop him. As they made their way to the living room with all of the others Severus pulled out the playpen he had bought and the mat which Benedict knew to go to the toilet on. The mat had banishing charms woven into the fabric and worked perfectly for familiars. 

“Hadrian set this up in the corner so that Benedict is not disturbed by the noise as you open your presents, he needs to sleep, and you can spend time with him later when the others have departed.” Hadrian nodded obediently and went to set up the pen in the far corner of the room.

Soon they were all sat in the living room with the three boys sat on the floor and the adults pulled shrunk presents out of their pockets. Hadrian still hadn’t gotten used to this, the fact that he had family and friends around him that wanted to celebrate his birthday. Half an hour later Hadrian had a pile of gifts next to him and he was profusely thanking those around him. The Malfoys had gotten him books on Runes and Arithmancy while the Zabini’s had gotten him some Italian handmade dress robes which would grow with him. As a surprise Severus had also gotten him a professional rune etching kit, it would have been very expensive it was made from pure Goblin Platinum and had dragon skin grips, they looked like a tiny chisel and hammer, but they were imbued with strong magic. Hadrian lunged himself at a surprised Severus who had to use his son’s momentum to swing him in a circle so that he didn’t get knocked to the floor, he knew that his son had high aspirations of becoming a rune master and he had every belief that he would achieve this. He placed Hadrian back on the ground and for the next two hours the boys ran around the house crazily with a football and the adults spoke about Hogwarts. Eventually the guests leave, and Severus is left snuggled up on the couch with a tied Hadrian. 

“I’m scared.” Whispered Hadrian so quietly that Severus had to strain his ears. Severus gazed down at his Godson and was once again reminded that Hadrian was still very young. 

“What are you scared of Hadrian?” Severus asked, he had an inkling of what it might be, and if he was right Hadrian had nothing to worry about, he had already put measured in place to ensure his sons safety. 

“What if Dumbledore gets to me? What if … What if he sends me back to the Dursleys, away from you?” Hadrian was almost in tears now and when Severus saw this he scooped Hadrian into his lap. Hadrian automatically his face in Severus’ chest as his body shuddered with obs. 

“Listen to me Hadrian James Severus Potter-Prince, I would never ever let that happen, Dumbledore is only a figurehead as Hogwarts headmaster, he has very little power and absolutely none over you or your future, the man is deluded Hadrian, but you have nothing to worry about.” Severus could still feel Hadrian’s body shaking and he threaded his fingers through Hadrian’s hair in an attempt to calm him “I promise you Hadrian that I will not let anything happen to you.” 

Suddenly there was a whimpering from the corner and Hadrian was out of Severus’ lap in a flash, they had checked on Benedict periodically and Hadrian had fed him before the others had left but since then the pup had been asleep and Severus had encouraged Hadrian not to bother him too much but now Severus watched with amusement as his son fussed over the small wiggling mass. Hadrian brought Benedict to sit next to Severus on the sofa “I don’t ever want him to feel scared dad,” Hadrian said quietly “I was constantly scared at the Dursleys, scared that Vernon would hit me in the wrong place and I wouldn’t be able to cover the bruise, scared that I wouldn’t be fed, and even at the beginning of Riddale I was scared, scared that I wouldn’t fit in, scared that I really was a freak and that the Dursleys were right.” Severus listened avidly as his son opened up about his insecurities more than he ever had before. “I know Benedict isn’t the same, but he is vulnerable, and I just don’t want him to ever feel like that.” Severus knew that Hadrian cared deeply for those he was close with and this just proved it. 

“You are right Hadrian he is vulnerable, but he has you to protect him just like you have me.” Severus pulled Hadrian close and watched as both boy and pup fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
